Juicing – some people do it for weight loss, others do it to help lower cholesterol, but what about juicing for your skin? I always like to start off the year with a juice cleanse. Last year I tried the Dr. Oz 3 Day Cleanse. The plan was doable, but there were only three recipes to choose from and I didn’t love them all.

This year, I decided to try the Reboot with Joe 3 Day Quick Start Plan. The plan has tons of different juice recipes that incorporate fruits and vegetables. You start your day off with a lemon water liver cleanse and drink five juices a day, as well as coconut water and herbal teas. By far this has been the plan with the best recipes. Since I loved them so much, I decided to share some of the best wrinkle fighting, skin brightening recipes from the plan and few I created on my own!

Green Juice

2 Apples

2 Cucumbers

6-8 Kale leaves

Orange Juice

4 Carrots

2 Apples or 2 Oranges or 1 Mango

Red Juice

1/2 of a small Watermelon

2 Pears

4 Strawberries

So how is this good for your skin? Well for starters all of these fresh fruits and veggies have tons of good-for-your-skin vitamins.

Let’s start with kale; dubbed the Queen of Greens by WebMD, it’s a mega house of goodness. Kale has a high concentration of vitamins A, C and K. Vitamin A has been shown to help fight wrinkles and acne. Vitamin C helps brighten the skin and fight free radicals. Vitamin K helps shrink capillaries which causes the appearance of under eye circles and varicose veins.

Cucumbers have been used in beauty treatments for ages. Like kale, cucumbers also contain vitamin C and K. It has magnesium too, magnesium and vitamin C both work together to promote the production of collagen.

Carrots are packed with vitamin A and beta-carotene. Our bodies actually convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, so carrots essentially pack a double dose of this stuff! Carotenoids also helps reduce skin’s sensitivity to UV rays.

Mangoes and watermelons both contain vitamins A, C, and E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps fight free radicals that can cause aging. It also helps improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

There you have it, juicing is rich in essential vitamins that are both good for your body, and good for your skin.

Lately I’ve been oding on pumpkin! I mean it’s been pumpkin coffee, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin pie, pumpkin this and pumpkin that! If it comes in pumpkin flavor, I’m ordering it! So naturally, after seeing this news report about all the different pumpkin facials spas are offering, I decided I wanted to try a pumpkin facial right now!

Then I thought, how could I make a homemade version? And that’s when I went to my pantry and started mixing up a recipe! Pumpkin spa day here I come!

I mixed some Libby’s pumpkin puree (about 1/8 cup) with 1 tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. You could also go the super old fashioned way and boil down pumpkin and water to create your own puree. The pumpkin alone has tons of benefits for your skin. It’s loaded with vitamins A, C, and E, which have been proven to improve the appearance of skin. Pumpkins also have carotenoids that help fight free radicals and wrinkles. Cinnamon helps plump your skin and gets rid of acne by bringing blood and oxygen to the surface of your skin. Sugar, of course, is a great natural exfoliator.

After exfoliating my skin, I applied a pumpkin face mask. I used equal parts pumpkin puree and facial moisturizer. I worked it in and soaked up all the vitamins for about 20 minutes. I rinsed and re applied moisturizer. My skin felt great afterwards and it gave me a nice glow! Now I’m off to go get me a pumpkin latte, I just can’t get enough!

This collection will help you get your skin glowing again. This set comes in a custom vanity jute bag and features four of BeeAlive’s Spa Essentials products to help achieve perfect balanced skin. Set valued at $88.

Official Rules:
This giveaway will end Sunday September 15th, 2013 at 11:59pm EST. It is only open to U.S. residents of the contiguous states who are at least 13 years old. All entries will be verified. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. The winner will be announced on Monday September 16th, 2013 on this post and will be immediately contacted via email. Once notified, the winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

This past weekend, I enjoyed a mini summer getaway at the Jersey Shore. Beach, boardwalk, and beauty were all on the menu and I just couldn’t wait to dive-in! Here’s how I brought my weekend beauty routine to the beach.

Soak up some moisture

After you take your dip in the ocean; saturate your strands with a deep conditioner. Just make sure you rinse out the salt water first. Apply a good amount of product and clip your hair up. Now sit back and relax under your umbrella with a copy of your favorite magazine! Rinse hair out after 20 minutes or when you get home. I like to use Alterna Caviar Replenishing Moisture Masque ($42, alternahaircare.com)

Buff away the day

Make the sand work for you. Next time you hit the beach, exfoliate your legs and heels with wet sand. Just mix salt water with sand and boom – you have an all natural body scrub! Make sure you’re not too rough when using it and as a precaution; don’t exfoliate freshly shaved skin.

It was hard to choose a favorite, but I really enjoyed the Rose Body Scrub the most. It smells like sweet roses and is the prettiest shade of blush. Simple Sugar products contain natural sugar and oils that help smooth rough skin. This scrub left my skin baby soft after my shower.

The Green Tea Facial scrub was also very nice. It smells so fresh – just like a shot of wheatgrass juice! Since it’s oil based, I would only recommend it for those with dry skin. It was too oily for my face so I used it as a body scrub and it worked perfectly.

I’m so happy I got to try Simple Sugars; the company’s creator and founder, Lani Lazzari was featured on ABC’s Shark Tank and since then Simple Sugars has increased it’s retail presence and will (hopefully) soon be offered in more stores across the country.

If you’re not exfoliating your lips – you should be! Exfoliating helps smooth out chapped and bumpy lips. It also helps increase circulation, which makes your lips look plump and fuller. Follow these steps for sexier lips!

Easy Lip Scrub Recipe

1 tsp petroleum jelly

1/2 tsp sugar

1 drop of argan oil

1 drop of peppermint oil (optional for fresh breath!)

Mix the sugar into the petroleum jelly then add in the drops of argan oil and peppermint oil. This can all be done in your hand. Apply it to your lips in a circular motion using your index finger. Rinse or let the ingredients soak in.

Here’s a great idea for a homemade Christmas gift – gingerbread body scrub. Kids can make this for their moms with a little help from dad or older siblings. You can even make it organic by using only organic ingredients. This scrub smells delicious and is just want you need to help de-stress from all the holiday madness! Enjoy!

Gingerbread Body scrub

1 cup sugar or brown sugar

2 tps ginger

2 tps nutmeg

2 tps cinnamon

¼ cup almond oil

Combine all ingredients and pour into a nice glass jar with an airtight lid. Tie a nice ribbon around the jar and attach instructions that read “Apply in a circular motion, rinse and pat dry”

Russell Organics 100% Argan Oil is a natural all-in-one oil that nourishes and moisturizes skin and hair. It’s versatile and loaded with vitamin E, omega-6 fatty acid and squalene – all of which are excellent moisturizers.

If you suffer from dry skin, then argan oil is a great addition to your winter skincare routine. I like to rub some into my dry elbows and knees. It absorbs quickly and keeps my skin soft throughout the winter months. Once the cold weather starts to kick in, my cuticles get dry and peel. Argan oil helps keep them in shape in between manis. I dab some on with a Q-Tip as needed. It also soothes and nourishes hair. After I detangle my hair, I always apply argan oil to the ends of my hair. It keeps my ends looking healthy and helps prevents splitting.

Happy Thanksgiving Beauties! Today I thought I’d share this cranberry face scrub recipe. I remember making this with my mom the day after Thanksgiving back when I was in high school. My mother and I have always bonded over beauty and baking. I love her so much for sharing her knowledge of both with me.

Cranberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and are loaded with antioxidants. Vitamin C helps brighten and clarify your skin. Cranberries are also a natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory – this means they are great at cleaning and healing the skin.

Blend the cranberries and oatmeal in a blender or food processor. Combine the mixture with the rest of the ingredients. Apply to face and body in a circular motions then rinse. For an extra boost of radiance – leave the scrub on your face for 5 minutes then rinse.

Alivea Cream is an all natural skin soothing cream that treats sunburns and hydrates skin. It’s made from three simple but powerful ingredients; beeswax, olive oil, and water. This cream is so natural that I thought it would be appropriate to list it under the Nature’s Best category. Beeswax is a main ingredient found in many lip balms. It locks in skin’s moisture and acts as a barrier between your skin and airborne allergies. It also heals sunburned skin and minor burns. Olive oil is also an amazing ingredient that I love. Olive oil helps hydrate and replenish skin. And water, what’s more natural than h2O! As we know water hydrates our skin as well.

Alivea Cream feels and looks like a thick, waxy balm. It has a great natural scent, it smells like beeswax. It comes complete with a small spatula to scoop the product out. At first it has a pretty solid consistency, but once you rub it in onto your warm skin, it begins to melt right in.

I was invited to a pool party over the 4th of July weekend. I am pretty sun conscious, so I didn’t burn but I did tan. But soaking all day long in the chlorine left my skin feeling a bit dry, so when I got home I applied some of this after showering. It really helped rehydrate my skin. It does take a while to get absorbed into your skin, my legs were super shiny after I applied it! My boyfriend got a mild sunburn on his neck and shoulders. When I applied some to his hot back, it literally melted right in, I just had to work in some of the specs that didn’t melt. Much to say, he enjoyed his mini back massage!

This is a great all natural product that really delivers. It’s like a store bought homemade remedy that’s ready to use. The company recommends that you store it in the fridge, since it doesn’t have preservatives and all those nasty parabens and stuff.

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Official Rules:
This giveaway will end Thursday July 19, 2012 at 11:59 pm EST. It is open to U.S. residents who are at least 18 years or older. All entries will be verified. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. The winner will be announced on Friday July 20 ,2012 both on this post and on the Facebook page and will be immediately contacted via email. Once notified, the winner will have 72 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.